1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to fishing devices in general and to jug fishing devices in particular.
2. Prior Art
Jug fishing is a foam of setline fishing which involves the use of a floatation device attached to a fishing line. The commonly called “jugline” can be any buoyant container from an empty milk carton to a specially made jugfishing device. Jugfishing can be used to catch many varieties of fish. However, the method of jug fishing is particularly effective in catching catfish. There are two main varieties of juglines, either free floating or drifting juglines and anchored juglines. The disadvantage of the free floating juglines is that they are more difficult to control, and the user cannot predict where the current will take the free floating juglines, especially when a fish has taken the bait. Anchored juglines provide more user control and greatly decrease the unpredictability of movement. Also, anchored juglines provide resistance to the pull of a fish on the line allowing the user to capture the line and its fish with greater ease.
Fisherman use juglines because of their versatility and ease of use. A jugline can be preassembled and set in a matter of minutes, cutting down on time preparing to fish and allowing the fisherman to have multiple active juglines at one time. Once a fish has taken the bait, it is important that the user have a way of determining that a fish is on the line to avoid losing the fish and/or valuable equipment in the event of the fish getting away or breaking the equipment. Similarly, it is useful for the fisherman to be able to tell which lines have a fish on in order to allow the fisheiman to save time by not running lines that do not have a fish.
In the prior art, there are several ways for the user to determine when a fish has taken the bait on his jugline, including auditory indications and visual indications. An auditory indication can be difficult to detect when the user is far from the jugline, a problem that is likely to present itself when the user has set multiple juglines over a large area. Also, the sounds of the environment may inhibit the user's ability to detect the signal. Thus, a visual indicator may eliminate the problem of the user being unable to detect an auditory signal.
A visual indicator is seen in the prior art in the form of a device that floats in a nearly horizontal position initially. After a fish has engaged the hook and line that depend from the float, the float changes its orientation to vertical. The change in orientation of the device from a near horizontal floating position to a vertical floating position is caused by a free sliding object positioned within the device. However, when utilizing a visual indicator, the user is in danger of receiving a false positive in the form of a shift in the object inside of the hollow of the jugfishing device without a fish being attached to the line. The water current, the movement of animals in the water, the wake from vessels in the water, and wind are all potential sources of motion which can cause these false positives. Similarly, “nibbles” that do not result in a hook up with a fish may result in a false positive indication. In light of these problems in the prior art, an improved jug fishing device meeting the following objectives is desired.